


A Prodigy; My Hero

by Admiral_Imouto



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Eventual Smut, F/F, Femslash, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:39:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9102793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Admiral_Imouto/pseuds/Admiral_Imouto
Summary: It is the year 2077. For over thirty years, the omnics have torn through civilizations across the globe. To preserve hope, humanity places all its faith in a new organization named Overwatch.When the omnics continue to thrive and matters look bleak, the agents of Overwatch throw a Hail Mary. They send a search party to the forgotten ruins of the first cities struck, trying to find anything to save them.What they found instead was a girl.





	1. Chapter 1

Nothing set Fareeha Amari in such a state of unease as the silence of Seoul. The ruins of the once great city stretched on for two hundred miles and yet nothing could be heard save for the gravel crunching under her boots. It didn’t help that silence was something she had rarely experienced in her lifetime. Having lived her entire life on one Overwatch base or another, there was seldom a moment of true quiet. The base was always filled with voices, whispers, laughter, footsteps; filled with life.

But there was no life here. There hadn’t been since before she was born.

It had been thirty-four years since the God Program activated in Seoul. The destruction that occurred the day it rose from the sea was unlike anything the world had ever seen. Omnic attacks were still a real threat, but the people of Seoul had no warning. Preparation was the only reason humanity hadn’t been wiped out many years ago.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself, finding a strange comfort in hearing her own voice. Maybe her decision to split the squad to search hadn’t been a well thought out one. Fareeha couldn’t have prepared herself for the atmosphere of Seoul. No one could ever be prepared to enter a city that had been turned into a graveyard for millions by war.

A city known for its grand buildings and rapidly advancing culture had been flattened overnight. The buildings that had stretched to the clouds were now skeletons; nothing more than steel rebar poking out from chunks of concrete on the ground. It was rare she would see anything taller than herself. The sight before her made Fareeha glad she never asked her mother about survivors.

No one had seemed to make any headway either. It had been almost half an hour since she heard from any of her squad members. They had gone in expecting this, though. Searching through the leveled buildings for fabled prototypes wasn’t a mission that inspired confidence. If the scientists here did have technology that could have been a threat, the possibility that the omnics had taken the prototypes was high. The only reason she hadn’t called the mission a bust was the desperation they all felt. If there was any chance, they would chase it to the end.

One foot in front of the other. _Crunch, crunch, crunch_. The research facility could be anywhere within a five mile radius. They didn’t have the man power required to search every building individually. For now, they had to scan the area for any signs that might give it away. “One foot in front of the other,” she reminded herself. “Your mission isn’t over.”

The comm hissed to life. “Captain,” Saleh’s voice shook, “I think I’ve found something. You have to see this.”

Fareeha let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god. _Something_. Send me your coordinates.” As eager as she was to have company after experiencing the horror of Seoul, something about his tone made her anxious. Saleh promptly complied, and she was off; the crunching of gravel echoed through the empty city.

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

When she arrived at the location, her heart sank. The faces of her squad members told her that whatever she was about to see wasn’t going to be what they had hoped for. As Fareeha made her way towards the structure, Tariq sprinted past her with his hand firmly over his mouth. The sound of retching followed and she winced.

“That bad, huh?” she gestured towards Tariq’s hunched over form as Saleh came to meet her.

Her lieutenant frowned, “I think you should see for yourself, captain.” Shit. If even Saleh had lost his effortlessly light-hearted attitude, this had to be bad.

“I found this staircase while I was scanning the area,” Saleh gestured to it as they made their way into the ruins. “There were a few chunks of concrete covering it, so I thought... maybe I found something, you know?” The grave twist in his tone made the hairs on the back of Fareeha’s neck stand on end.

“But you did find something,” she provided carefully as he led her down the stairway.

“I did.”

The only light in the room came from their flashlights. As Fareeha’s shone her light around the room, she didn’t see anything of note. As her mouth began to form the question, Saleh pointed his light in answer. In that instant, Fareeha felt true terror.

Twenty capsules stood upright against the wall, each containing a body. Half were skeletons then, some were better preserved. She wished they weren’t. The look of absolute horror on their faces would haunt her dreams for years to come. The blue of their skin would make her wary of the cold. What even happened here? What was this scene she was looking at?

No. She had to gather herself. Her troops were already in a state of disarray and she needed to set an example. Fareeha took a deep breath. “Take pictures to send back to HQ,” she ordered Saleh before examining things closer.

It was only one set of stairs that had led to the room, so it must not have been a preciously kept secret. Like the bodies, the room itself hadn’t been untouched by either the omnic or time. The idea of its function being a bunker was improbable. Murder? Not likely, given the location.

“Captain Amari!” Saleh yelled out, dropping his flashlight and nearly causing Fareeha a heart attack.

She grasped at her chest and growled, “Dear lord, _what_ Saleh?”

“She... I think this one is alive!”

... What? That’s not... is that possible? Fareeha hesitantly pointed her torch at the capsule in front of him as she approached. Inside was a girl, not a day over 18. Color still evident on her face. That was all Fareeha needed to know.

“Call doctor Ziegler now. _Now_!”

Then the sounds of gravel crunching. Too much sound.


	2. Chapter 2

 Fareeha raised her rifle in the direction of the door, swearing under her breath. There hadn’t been any hints of hostiles for the hours she and her squad had searched. In the absolute silence of the city, the slightest movement would’ve been detectable. How could they have moved in so fast? How did she miss them? None of that mattered now.

 

“Saleh, call in a mech. Drop it directly on our location,” Fareeha commanded. Her tone left no room for question. Saleh had worked with her since she joined their ranks; he never once distrusted a decision of hers. It kept him alive this long. If she decided a mech was more important than contacting the doctor, he wouldn’t argue.

 

Saleh fumbled with his communicator, trying desperately to still his shaking hands. He finally managed to grasp the biotic integration cord and stuck it into the port of his hand. Most technology used by the members of Overwatch connected to the human body now; a safety precaution against the omnics. Fareeha never understood the science of it and never cared to ask. So long as it worked and the God Programs weren’t taking over her mech with her inside, she was satisfied.

 

Tariq barreled into the room. He tumbled down the flight of stairs to Fareeha’s feet with a groan. “Tariq...” she called in the chastising tone, her gun still raised.

 

His breath was heavy and his forehead covered in beads of sweat. “Captain,” he breathed, “Captain, those are omnics out there. Bastions.”

 

“That’s not possible.” It was possible. Fareeha knew that. Bastion units would lie dormant for decades without activating. It wouldn’t be surprising if her squad hadn’t detected them this whole time.

 

Tariq scrambled to his feet, attaching his pulse rifle to his port and aiming down its sights. “I saw them, captain. They have to be. At least six of them. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

 

Fareeha didn’t know either. Even with a mech inbound, ten omnics wasn’t a fight she wanted to take. They were cornered and the nearest squad was on the other side of the city. They could try to make a break for it, but that would be impossible to stage with the capsule. They could leave the capsule behind, but...

 

No. That girl didn’t survive all these years trapped underground for them to just abandon her.

 

“We’re guarding this building. There’s a mech inbound, right?”

 

“Yes, Captain. ETA twenty minutes,” Saleh answered.

 

“Alright. There’s one entrance and we’re going to cover it as best we can until we can get backup. Understood?”

There was a short silence in the room that said it all. Fareeha knew she was asking a lot of her men. They were all going to risk their lives to ensure this mystery girl’s safety. She wasn’t ecstatic about the idea either, but it’s what was right. She wouldn’t fail this mission without trying.

 

After a moment of contemplation, Saleh answered, “Understood. I’ll call this in.”

 

Fareeha’s eyes met Tariq’s. He was trembling, his breathing still heavy. She could see the fear in his eyes and she didn’t blame him. Tariq just finished training three months ago; He hadn’t intended to join Overwatch in the first place. His little sister needed a kidney. When they tested him they found he was seventy-two percent biotic compatible. In the world they all lived in, it wasn’t possible to ignore the call of duty. If the world were different, if things were fair, he would’ve never picked up a gun. He wasn’t built for it.

 

“Tariq,” she pressed, “Am I understood?” His eyes darted from hers to the door and back as he chewed nervously on his lip.

 

“Tariq.”

 

She could hear him take a deep breath before the sound of gravel came again; heavy stomping and metal scraping against metal. A beep. Fareeha and her men all aimed down their sights at the same moment. In training they were always told that you would experience tunnel vision. You didn’t have to remember your training consciously. Your body would always react however you trained it to react. Fareeha tried not to think about how mechanical it all felt first-hand.

 

Then Fareeha couldn’t hear them. She could hear Tariq’s shaky breathing. She could hear the sound of Saleh’s boot dragging across the concrete as he adjusted his stance. But nothing from the omnics. Shit. That was the worst part of fighting Bastions. It was always a toss up; sometimes the silence meant they had gone dormant again. Equally as often, it meant they had set into their turret mode. She’d much rather fight an omnic with proper upkeep than one of the many Bastions forgotten by time.

 

In theory, they could gamble on the Bastions not advancing on them. They could wait for the mech and back up to arrive... if the Bastions wouldn’t advance. With their destructive power combined with the conditions the building was in, Fareeha wasn’t sure whether it was a bet she would like to take. But if they moved forward and the Bastions were set up as turrets... shit, shit, shit. This was an impossible situation.

 

“I can’t do this, Captain. I can’t!” Fareeha’s eyes went wide as she saw Tariq dash out of the building. The second his foot touched sunlight, he was filled with bullets. Blood sprayed everywhere. So much blood. His left arm hung on by a string.

 

She didn’t have the presence of mind to scream. She didn’t feel like what she saw was real. She had seen people die before, but not like this. And when Saleh ran forward to try to drag their comrade’s body inside she wondered if their training really had been enough.

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

_Wake up._

 

_Child, you have to wake up._

 

_If you don’t wake up, we’re both going to die here._

 

Hana’s eyes fluttered open, took a deep breath, and immediately began coughing up a slimy substance she couldn’t identify. “Good,” the voice encouraged, patting her back. God, her lungs were on fire but her entire body was cold. Her coughing fit continued for what felt like an eternity.

 

Finally, when she could breathe without feeling like she was drowning, she glared up at the woman next to her. Tall with pronounced muscles, but a feminine face that looked like one of those women in foreign fashion magazines; Hana had to admit she was sort of impressed. It almost made it hard to glare.

 

“You probably have a lot of questions,” the fashion lady began. Damn right, she did. Hana just coughed up about 4 liters of blue goop in a dusty, unfamiliar room. “And I’ll answer them for you later. There’s no time now. I’m Captain Fareeha Amari. You have to get in this.” Sunlight from a hole in the ceiling hit directly on the machine Captain Amari patted, almost as though the universe was putting emphasis on it.

 

Hana slowly stood to look it over. The machine looked like something from an anime. “What is it?” she tried to contain her childlike wonder. It was twice as tall as her, and more than four times as wide. The entirity was painted a matte army green that was littered with scratches. Barrels of three guns stuck out from either arm, making its primary function obvious.

 

Captain Amari looked a bit puzzled by the question. “It’s a mech,” she explained hesitantly. “You go inside it and control it, sort of like you would a car. Listen. You have to get in it now.”

 

“Why do I have to? What’s going on?”

 

Captain Amari pursed her lips. “... I don’t want you to panic, but we’re surrounded.” She shakily stood, using the mech as a crutch. “There’s one seat. I would have some question about giving it to the girl who doesn’t know what a mech even is, but as you can see...” She lifted her right arm, or what was left of it. “I wouldn’t be the most efficient pilot either, assuming I’d ever have to make a right turn. I’m probably going to start going into shock soon, too.”

 

Hana stood speechless. It was all a lot to process. She wasn’t sure if she could process even on a good day if she was being completely honest. There was so much missing information, but there wouldn’t be any more if they died here. She put on her most determined face and nodded. Her father didn’t raise her to crumble under pressure. He didn’t raise no bitch.

 

A gentle smile graced Captain Amari’s face and Hana might’ve blushed, feeling a little bit proud to have coaxed it out. “That’s my girl. Now, you’re going to climb up from the back.” Hana did so, feeling a bit guilty over the jolt that went down her spine as Captain Amari’s hand guided her. “And you’re going to slide forward so your hands are on the... the...” She couldn’t seem to find the word.

 

Hana followed the captain’s guidance and her face lit up as she found the word. “Joysticks!”

 

Captain Amari looked surprised at first before presenting an indulgent smile. “Yes. Joysticks works.”

 

“So, how do I make it go?” Hana jiggled the joysticks and tapped away at the buttons on the side of them, perfectly distracted and unconcerned.

 

“That’s the less pleasant part of this arrangement.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean a team of six Bastions isn't funny?


End file.
